[MPlayer-users] Quick MacOSX intro for Linux-user

[Klokan Petr Pridal]

Quick MacOSX intro for Linux-user
---------------------------------

As I announced, I published some simple installable binary package of MPlayer for MacOSX. It uses SDL for vo&ao and libavcodec (only :-((). Today I had some time to target bugs and to describe mac enviroment for linux-users/developers. I didn't find some text like this in archive and I think it's quite interesting.
I'm a linux-man, not mac and I have missed some text like this. So I wrote it. I'm sorry if you are not interested in...

Quick MacOSX intro:
- As you know it's UNIX-like system (so it supports POSIX, directory structure like /etc /usr.. , terminal and commands like ls, top, find...). It uses Mach microkernel with BSD-layer (called Darwin) which is open-source and run on PPC and i386. On that kernel are build some distributions :-) like GNU-Darwin. (Look at sf.net).

On MacOSX is also proprietary WindowServer called Quartz, which uses PDF-like protocol for displaying content of windows. On that server run Aqua (something like desktop enviroment - linuxes Gnome or KDE) with water-like buttons and transparency on every step.. (no comment:-)

- This system is target mainly to Desktop User and have some non-unix extension comming from NextStep and older MacOS. The main is usage of package for storing applications, libraries, kernel extensions etc. on disk, which are in fact directories with hard-set of subdirectories. Inside "package" are binaries, resources like icons, files with translation etc. So user-applications are not stored in unix-like directories, but in /Applications or /Network/Applications (for NFS-shared), or whereever you want (and have permission as user).
Mac users install software like this by simply drag&drop from CD to harddisk and uninstall similarly. Package treates like binaries with icon. On doubleclick thay run itself.

Another extension is defaults-database: hierarchy storage with heritability and network support. It's used by aplication for save/read their configs. Similar to GConf under Gnome or (stupider) registry under MS Windows.

Next extension is NetInfo. Quite elegant implemetation of something like LDAP (can bind it) or Active Directory. The next one are services (copy&paste to application), dock (do you know WindowMaker/GNUStep?), etc.

- The system come with some unix software like Apache, Samba, NFS etc. Apple made for that software really simple but powerfull GUI. You can change also traditional text config files (like /etc/httpd/httpd.conf :-).
When you want more unix-soft you can use Fink (fink.sf.net - with packages system ported from debian). Fink give you powerfull updates, simple compilation and deal with dependency problems. Everythink is installed to /sw subtree (/sw/etc, /sw/bin, /sw/usr, ..). It suit for usage on GNU-Darwin.
Another way is usage of macosx-native packages system, or some extended. This provide project on www.osxgnu.org and some commercial companies. 
MPlayer has as fink-package so macosx-native. I made the native one. Now it installs himself to /usr/local/...

- On the MacOSX (and also Darwin) it's possible to install XFree86 (XServer) by some way I noticed higher.
Official XFree86 project has a branch called XDarwin (search "XonX") - this is the one. Next is commercial branch called XTools (has better OpenGL support).
Under Darwin it runs like in the Linux. On the MacOSX you can choose between rootless and fullscreen mode. If you use rootless mode windows from Mac are mixed together with XWindow windows. (Oh, too many windows in one sentense :-). This run very well with OroborOSX (version of Oroborus Window Manager).

- When you want to develop some application Apple provide "Developer Tools" (download free, CD purchased), which contains gcc, make, ...
It also contains a lot of other very good software like Project Builder with RAD-tool (like Delphi for example) called Interface Builder, Package Manager etc. Look at developer.apple.com.

Uff that's all. If there is some misinformation please report it to me. 

Klokan Petr Pridal

PS. I bought old Apple TiBook in my work because it runs Linux and it's perfect piece of hardware. Also some developers of Gnome have it. I know about Tigert (tigert.gimp.org) and another two..one from Czech republic :-)
-- 
 (\_/)    Klokan Petr Pridal
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  (.)     student FI MU Brno, webmaster http://www.linux.cz/
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